


How Much of a Difference?

by ofiutt



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Bisexual Zuko (Avatar), First Dates, Fluff, M/M, Slow Romance, almost angst, bisexual Jet, loosely based off of jin and zuko's first date
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2020-08-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:28:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26136517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ofiutt/pseuds/ofiutt
Summary: Jet officially asks Zuko out. Iroh accepts for him. What else is there to say?
Relationships: Jet/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 129





	How Much of a Difference?

The tea shop didn’t close until evening, yet the ever anxious mind Zuko held made it feel as if work had gone by for only half an hour this afternoon. Earlier the fugitive encountered Jet once he finished serving all the other occupied tables in an attempt to hinder himself from having to face him again. After some brief scolding by the former involving Jet’s return and a reluctant inquiry on what he wanted to order, Zuko flounced off to the kitchen, distantly stupefied by how easily flustered he became when confronting his recent fling back at the ferry- as well as the closest thing he had to a crush.

Jet-of course-seemed to take amusement in the distress of the other boy and relished even more in the perturbed expression he made when Jet instigated another offer at the counter once he paid for the tea. The desperation Li emanated towards his uncle, however, was not quite as satisfying as the warm enthusiasm the latter greeted him with.

Iroh spotted the Freedom Fighter from the aperture of the wall behind them and practically rushed over from the kitchen, shoving the tray of freshly brewed tea in Zuko’s hands. “Why, Jet! What a pleasant surprise. I see you have run into my nephew and I once more,” Iroh let out a hearty chuckle, “how are the others?”

Jet returned the salutation with a smile, removing the straw of wheat from his mouth between two of his fingers. “They’re doing just fine. Still getting used to the city is all.” Zuko shot a glare at the Freedom Fighter as he swiped the copper pieces away from the counter that Jet leaned over and placed them on.

“The tea’s great, Mushi, but... I was just stopping by to see if Li here wanted to go out sometime.” Zuko could’ve sworn that he almost dropped the tray of teacups for the few remaining customers when he began walking away from the counter. He felt heat flush across his healthy cheek as he looked at his uncle with exasperation. Before the boy could say anything Iroh replied with a lively and almost suspiciously eager “Of course he would go out with you!”

The exclamation earned a hushed giggle from the patrons near the back of the shop and Zuko simply stood there, blanked face in revelation.

“Great! So it’s a date then.” Jet turned to the shorter boy. “I’ll meet you outside after your shift is over.” The Freedom Fighter stuck the straw of wheat back into his mouth and squeezed Zuko’s shoulder as he walked by him; the devious look he gave the latter before making his way towards the exit was very much decipherable: We both know you’re not standing me up.

-

The young fugitive stepped out of the tea shop eyeing the ground, sheepishly moving one hand up and down ploddingly on his forearm before shifting his gaze from the floor to meet Jet’s beguiling face. The Freedom Fighter sized him up under the sharp crease of his eyebrows while holding his prominent smirk, seemingly being enough to rivet Zuko on the spot.

Jet laughed cuttingly. “That’s a good look on you.” He ruffled up the shorter boy’s hair, unleashing the strands from the repressive hair gel back to its usual serrated state. “It took my uncle ten minutes to do my hair…” Li feebly remarked, unexpectedly self-conscious in a way that Jet found rather cute, strangely enough.

“C’mon,” Jet arched his elbow out towards Zuko, “I know a good manchow soup place a few blocks from here.” The latter glanced at the gesture reproachingly. “You can’t be serious.”

“What, you’re shy now?” Jet almost barked a laugh. Zuko took note of the insinuation and turned his face away in his usual scowl. The taller boy shrugged and snatched his wrist, pulling him along sharply earning a yelp from his date. Zuko staggered after him and the pair headed for the restaurant.

-

The waitress led the boys to their seats before handing them the menus and glancing a rather propitious look at Li’s direction, to which he quickly averts at the catalog in embarrassment. Jet took humor in his gawkiness and reached out his hand across the table to caress Li’s, eliciting an eyebrow raise from the latter. “Just take it easy, sweetheart.”

Zuko smacked his hand away. “Look, Jet, if you want me to fuck you, or suck your dick-” he glanced around for any turned heads, “...y-you don’t need to-” Zuko caught the Freedom Fighter eyeing him with a disheartened stare, and the former couldn’t help the pang of guilt he felt immediately after.

“You don’t need me to what?” Jet asked, the minuscule pain in his voice still contradicting his usual cocky self. “I don’t need to be wooed,” Zuko finally snapped, “you don’t have to take me out to eat or whatever. I’m not- it’s not worth the time.”

“It is, though.” Jet responded. “Just… let me. Please. I’m doing a different thing. This isn't the ferry.” Zuko tried not to overthink the statement. It’s been a minute since he’d been treated to something so, well, nice. He doesn’t necessarily have to worry about the aftermath for tonight and he couldn’t find it in himself to really want to, surprisingly. It was just one date.

The food arrived not too long after the pair gave the server their orders and now they ate in silence. Zuko occasionally glanced towards the right side of the restaurant’s veranda from which they sat, partially to avoid having to look at Jet as he ate but also to appreciate the lack of crowds bustling the streets of the Lower Ring; the street lights being the only sources of illumination besides the partly clouded moon as a few civilians seemingly walked home from work and a Dai Li agent scrutinized the block while a lantern hung loosely below his fist. The boy wasn’t too incredulous when he found that he preferred the Lower Ring at dark-cherished it, even. He supposed the admiration stemmed from his standards of living that had grown foreshorten ever since his consistent source of travel… well.

“What are you thinkin’ about?” Jet asked, his voice snapping Zuko out of his reverie. “Uh, nothing.” The shorter boy looked down at his half-empty dish; he didn’t mean to dampen the whole ‘romantic’ experience for Jet this way, and Zuko despised how awkward he often was. Fortunately, though, the Freedom Fighter never seemed to mind.

Jet saw the timid gesture and barked a laugh. “So you got any other relatives, Li?” His date snapped his head back up and replied, perhaps a little too quickly. “None! I mean… I have a sister and a father back at our, uh, town, but I wasn’t happy with them and my uncle is really the only one who’s been by my side.”

“I should start adding to that number then.” Jet smiled, and the implication was sweet, it really was, and Zuko acknowledged it with an inconspicuous nod.

He felt tempted to ask Jet a similar question but he didn’t dare broach that topic. Zuko’s memory recalled the time Jet disclosed his past involving his parents back at the ferry, and his abhorrence of those who brought that fate upon them. The fugitive didn’t want to think about any of that right now. Not when he was having a break.

“Do your friends know about this?” Li asked, referring to the taller boy’s plans for the evening. Jet chuckled. “They were basically pressuring me to ask you out at this point,” he took a sip of his lychee, “I think they got sick of hearing your name so much at home.” The Freedom Fighter smirked, feeling triumphant in the way Li visibly flushed across the unmarred side of his face at the implication.

Jet leaned forward, locking his fingers and resting his elbows on the table. “I wanna show you something after this, is that all right?” Li looked at him for a bit, rather pensive and confused, until shrugging it off. “Isn’t that the point?” he retorted. Jet tsked with a grin, gracefully slumping back into his chair and shoved his hand down his pocket, digging for the few gold pieces sufficient for their meal. “It’s a plan then.”

-

Zuko contentedly listened to Jet’s anecdotes, hands resting into the hook of his arm as the latter used the other arm to emphasize his storytelling with expressive gestures. Not that the shorter boy was listening to everything Jet was saying; fatigue was catching up to him slowly and his date’s shoulder being his headrest wasn’t helping. Zuko pretty much allowed Jet to guide him as long as he got to stare, regardless of where they were going. Then again, the Freedom Fighter probably had that effect on many people; Zuko, however, was surprisingly one of them.

“Here it is.” The fugitive slowly removed his head from Jet’s shoulder and let go of his arm, eyes searching for what was so special about what the latter was supposed to be confounding him with. “Well, they’re usually lit at night by the end of each week, and the way they practically light up the sky is gorgeous, but…” Jet turned his face away, scratching the back of his neck. “Sorry for the disappointment.”

The pair was in front of a group of high-hung lanterns, not exactly street lights, but large poles hooking into open containers to which tapers were secured. The very possible solution to the underwhelming ‘surprise’ immediately pierced the shorter boy’s mind, and he glanced at Jet who looked at Zuko with sincere woe, which was quite a rare look on him. Zuko found that he disliked it more than what might occur if he discloses his answer to the problem.

With a deep breath and an internal admonition of what he was about to do, Zuko reluctantly stood in front of a mystified Jet and gently grabbed his wrists, pecking a kiss on a knuckle before guiding the palms over Jet’s eyes. “Don’t look until I say so.”

Jet stood there momentarily, his eyes shut and palms concealing his face for good measure. He was about to ask Li what he was doing until his wait was declared over. “Okay. Now you can look.”

The Freedom Fighter put his arms down and opened his eyes. Zuko kept his distance, eyes forlornly searching for any sense of security he could muster up from Jet’s face. The latter took a few steps towards the view: burning lanterns illuminating the night sky and the earthly ambience surrounding them, divulging the luminosity of the stars as well as the ominous perpetuity of the buildings that had crossed Zuko’s mind earlier.

Jet then turned to the fugitive; the latter visibly nervous and somewhat sad, remaining completely still from where he stood. Jet’s gaze alone seemed to do that to him. Zuko stared at the taller boy’s imperceptible expression and couldn’t find it in himself to look away. Jet reached up a hand towards his face and Zuko flinched, shuddering when he cradled the right side of his head, thumb clemently grazing over the scar.

Jet’s hand moved down to rest on Zuko’s shoulder before swiftly leaning in and pressing his lips firmly to the fugitive’s. The latter immediately kissed back, hands reaching up to rest them on the sides of Jet’s face and moved his lips against the other’s with fervor, sensing the firm grip of wandering hands Jet had on his lower back. Zuko was just as obstinate as Jet, however, and his fingers retaliated by digging themselves into the unruly hair of the Freedom Fighter’s. Jet groaned against his mouth and Zuko slicked his tongue across his lower lip, to which the former greedily accepted and deepened the kiss thereof.

Li hooked his fingers into his date’s pants and snaked their way inside before Jet suddenly clutched his wrist. “No,” he demurred lowly, lips brushing against Li’s as he spoke. “That’s not what this is.” The shorter boy seemed to understand and kisses him again, more slowly and lingering this time, before the both of them intuitively break apart.

“Walk me home?” Li asked, looking up at Jet with an almost exhorting expression as his hands rest upon the Freedom Fighter’s shoulders. The latter chuckled lightly and smirked as usual. “Sure thing, babe.”

Zuko grimaced at the nickname and began walking away after lightly pushing Jet’s chest. The taller boy jogged after him and locked their fingers. Zuko smiled faintly at how natural it felt.


End file.
